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April 06, 2006

Search Engine Help

So, today, I spent some quality time looking at my readership scale. I have a relatively wide readership base. And today I would like to address one such "base" ( for lack of better word).

It turns out I have a very "searchable" name. Usually the searches are something like: Abigail in the BibleAbigail Biblical CharacterStory of Abigail, bibleAbigail

Now, I realize that all of these words are used on my blog a lot. Therefore people come expecting a little input on the subject they've searched. Sadly, I have lacked the help these searches need...but NO MORE! The following is my personal take on my namesake: *ahem*

First of all, the lighter side of the matter: here is my all time FAVORITE version of the verses in the Bible that refer to Abigail. I Samuel 25:23 :And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off her ass, and prostrated herself at David's feet (KJV)

I mean, come on...who wouldnt want to ALIGHT off her ASS...and PROSTRATE yourself at someones FEET?!?

I remember the first time I read this version quite fondly, actually, it was during 2002 and Lydia and I were in the middle of Central Otago, New Zealand on our Midsemester Break...and the only Bible we could find was a very old King James Version...we were doing Bible Studies on our Namesakes...and we laughed and laughed about Abigail...good times. good memories.

Ok, so seriously, now lets talk about Abigail. If you read the account of her in any other version ( and hey, if you get past the language...read it in the King James if you like) she's really a great Biblical Charater and I'm honored to be named after her.

And, yes, I WAS named after her...let's go back in time now for a quick background: Imagine my parents suprise on Nov. 22 ( a month earlier than expected, i might add) when they found that they had NOT had a boy as they had so very MUCH felt like they would ( apparently they didnt get ultrasounds back then...who knows)...so they couldnt very well name me "Steven David" as planned...and that is how I ended up being "Baby Girl Abt" for several days...until finally one morning during his Quiet Time, my father read about Abigail and ran to tell my mother that I finally had a name ( or at least that is how the story goes). One of the other things I always heard about my name as a child was the significants of both my sister and my name. My sister's name ( Anna) and Abigail..were both women in the Bible ( an old and a new testiment character) who recognized what God was doing in their time. Anna prophesied over the Baby Jesus and recognized the Christ even as a tiny baby. Abigail prophesied over David and recognized him as the King he was ( also a Type of Christ) even in his Exiled state that he was in at the timeof their meeting. My parents prayer for both of us was that we would recognize what God was doing in our time.

Now for some of my thoughts on Abigail, first of all, as a younger person I was delighted at what a FAIRY TALE her story seemed to be: I mean, come on: Girl marries Horrible Rich Evil Man...One day Girl stands up against Horrible Rich Evil Man, by going behind his Back to help Others, in doing so she saves Total Hottie Rebel Warrior from doing something really stupid. God stricks down Horrible Rich Evil Man and Girl is asked by Total Hottie Rebel Warrior to be his Totally Awesome Bride. Later on, Total Hottie Rebel Warrior becomes Total Hottie King...making Girl a Totally Awesome Queen.

Yeah, you can imagine how much I dug that story as a kid.

Buuut, as I got older I realized there WAS more to the story. First of all, its very cool that Abigail was discribed as not only ( beautiful) but also intelligent. Woooo....intelligent. Now, I havent done an intensive study, but I am pretty sure that Abigail is one of the few women in the Bible that was discribed as "intelligent". But, I think as, Christian women we should be remember this when people argue that Christianity portrays women as all "silent" and "women have their place"...the Bible is NOT against women at all! In fact, they are celebrated...and often they are celebrated for intelligence and wisdom. In this particular story a women is used to remind David of God's Mercy and ALSO about allowing God to be the one who brings Judgment and not to act in his anger. Abigail also prophecies about what David will become, by saying: Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. 29 Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30 When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, 31 my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself.

She also, takes on the offenses of her Evil Husband to save their whole household and by doing so she gains the favor of David.

But, imagine how HARD that must have been! She met David as he and four hundred of his Fighting Men were coming to do some SERIOUS damage to her people. As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21 David had just said, "It's been useless—all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God deal with David, [c] be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!"

Ummm...yeah, that's some SERIOUS wrath, and yet she stood her ground in front of that. Many times we are faced with a Force 'greater' than ourselves..and yet with God's Help we can stand against that. We, as one person, can pray for mercy, pray for forgiveness, pray for help....for ourselves, but also others in the path of distruction.

Another interesting thing to note about Abigail is that she easily took charge behind her husband's back. It could be argued that the household servants and workers looked to her as the words of Wisdom in the family..and who knows how many times she had smoothed over her husband's foolish ways. It also states that her husband was wicked. And it could have been very easy for her to fad bck into the position of submissive wife. In doing so, she would have let Evil reign in her home. Yet, this is not what she did. Often, we too, are faced with Evil and Foolishness in our lives, and it is our Calling to stand against such things however we may. There is no excuse to stand and do nothing, even when it seems like the enemy is bigger than us, or

There is definitely more I could say about this women...but that is sufficent for now, at least now when search engines bring people here..they'll have something a little bit more on subject to read. ;-)